The former England wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose has revealed he has suffered with depression after losing his place in the national side.

The 29-year-old has not played for England since 2009 and admitted he struggled mentally after being dropped, leading him to miss much of the 2010 domestic season with his county, Warwickshire.

"I was awake 24 hours a day, with things going around in my head," Ambrose said. "I was beyond miserable. It felt like I had this duvet that was soaking wet wrapped around me, and I couldn't get it off."

Ambrose played in the last of his 11 Tests against West Indies in Bridgetown in February 2009, making an unbeaten 76 in his last innings. However, it was not enough to retain his place, and that was the start of a battle with depression.

"I've had issues from a long time back, but it was an underlying thing that was easy to distract from," he said. "Since I was 15 years old my goal was to play international cricket. That's all I wanted to do. Whenever anything got tough I could always focus back on to that end goal. Once I'd reached that goal and walked away I lost all direction. I thought: 'Why am I going to play cricket every day?'"

Ambrose's personal problems contributed to his poor form at the start of the 2010 season and he went away to seek help, missing most of the campaign.

Warwickshire surprised him by offering him a new contract for 2011, and Ambrose has worked his way back, finding himself enjoying his cricket again.

This season, he has helped Warwickshire to the County Championship title as well as the CB40 Trophy final, although he will miss Saturday's match against Hampshire at Lord's with a thigh strain.

Now Ambrose is preparing to help the Professional Cricketers' Association launch Mind Matters, a programme of education and assistance for depression and anxiety along with fellow sufferers and former England players, Marcus Trescothick and Michael Yardy.